Americas
US refiners decry latest EPA proposal for tougher auto pollution standards
The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to announce the proposal as early as Friday. It is expected to require refiners to reduce the amount of sulfur in gasoline to 10 parts per million, down from the current standard of 30 ppm, people familiar with the issue said.
Chevron cuts executive pay amid safety woes
Chevron's board is cutting compensation for its CEO and other top executives in the wake of a string of accidents and other operational problems since late 2011.
Suncor, Total kill plan for Alberta bitumen upgrader
Amid the ongoing US oil boom, Suncor executives said it may not make sense to spend money on a new upgrading facility, which was to be located in Alberta. Instead, Suncor said it could be more economical to simply send unprocessed heavy bitumen to refiners equipped to handle it.
Kinder Morgan to boost US condensate processing after BP throughput deal
Kinder Morgan's processing facility will split condensate into its various components, such as light and heavy naphtha, kerosene, diesel and gas oil, and can be expanded pending additional market demand, the company said. The new investment will increase its total capacity to 100,000 bpd.
US refinery use signals stronger crude demand
A better-than-expected increase in last week's US refinery utilization rates is welcome relief to recent concerns that weak demand was contributing to a surplus of crude oil.
ExxonMobil licenses tubular process to Sasol for Louisiana polyethylene project
Used worldwide by ExxonMobil Chemical and its licensees, the company's high-pressure tubular process has been in operation since 1968 and has a long history of improvements and capacity expansion. The company also licenses autoclave technology for producing LDPE.
Dow Chemical, YPF to develop Argentine shale gas, collaborate on petrochemicals
The companies now enter into talks on how to work out the details of a deal to uncover unconventional gas in the Orejano block in Argentina's resource-rich Neuquen province. Dow and YPF also agreed to work together to come up with ways for further develop the nation's petrochemical industry.
Chevron recovers less oil than first expected from Utah diesel pipeline leak
Chevron is dealing with the fallout of the March 18 leak, which resulted in 600 bbl of diesel from its refinery in Salt Lake City spilling into marshes close to a freshwater lake in Willard Bay State Park. The company has to date recovered 354 bbl, down from the 500 bbl it said it had collected Friday.
Canadian Pacific train derails in US, spilling crude
CP crews are on the scene, and the spill is being contained. The derailment comes amid a surge in rail-shipped oil across North America, as US and Canadian production booms. That has heightened scrutiny over the safety of transporting increasing quantities of crude on the continent's railroads.
US proposes $1.7 million fine against ExxonMobil for Montana oil pipeline leak
The US Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration, the federal agency that oversees pipeline safety, said Exxon didn't have written procedures instructing employees how to protect the pipeline in case of natural disasters. Exxon was "disappointed in the findings of this report".
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